Appeal for Bletchley funding rebuffed

House of Lords' Deputy Chief Whip says 'no'

A petition by Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall in the House of Lords asking for government support for Bletchley Park was rejected by Lord Davies of Oldham, the Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Lords.

Lord Davies insisted that English Heritage and the Housing Communities Agency have provided funding for the historical site – which houses the National Museum of Computing and was, most famously, the place where the Enigma was cracked, a turning point in World War II.

Lord Davies also rebuffed the question of raising the matter with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport adding: "The issue with regard to support for Bletchley Park is a complex one.

"The Bletchley Park Trust itself receives no external support, but there is substantial support for the architectural and historical infrastructure."

Disappointment

Simon Greenish, CEO of the Bletchley Park Trust expressed his disappointment in the Government's response to the appeal for support, saying "The Bletchley Park Trust has indeed received significant investment into the infrastructure of the site for the enormous backlog of critical repairs and for this we are grateful to both English Heritage and Milton Keynes Council. These repairs are already well underway.

"However, until these building works are completed over the next three years, it is the day-to-day operational costs associated with running this ageing and dilapidated site that the Trust battles to meet.

"The Trust is currently working on a major bid for Heritage Lottery Funding and we are hopeful for the success of this bid in order to develop the site into the world-class education and heritage centre it deserves to be."

Self supporting

"The Trust's business plan is a solid one and establishes that once capital building works are complete and the museum has been developed, bringing in substantially more visitors, Bletchley Park will be self-supporting," he added

"Given the significant impact of Bletchley Park's wartime work on the outcome of World War Two and the way we all live today, I am disappointed at the negative Government response to Baroness McIntosh's appeal."